Indians have banded together under Cool Hand Cain
BY RANDY RUSSON
RR Media Service
He's only 39-years old but he's been coaching for two decades.
Kevin Cain has coached at the pee wee, bantam, midget and junior levels but the spotlight has
never really shone on him. Until now.
The unassuming Cain has done a top-notch job since taking over as head coach of the Soo Indians
of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League in mid-season -- and he's done so under difficult conditions. Difficult because
when he replaced the ousted Jim Capy, the Indians had a 17-9-2 record and were in third place.
But under Cain, the Indians achieved even more. With Cain at the helm, the Indians posted a 14-6
record and moved from third place to clinch first on the final day of the regular season. And they did so despite playing
12 of the 20 games on the road, including three weekend trips to Abitibi and North Bay in a little more than a month.
"Coach Cain has really brought us together," said Indians' captain Isaac Viau. "We were a close
group before but he has definitely made us more of a team."
(By finishing first, the Indians had an opening-round playoff bye before eliminating last season's
playoff finalists, the North Bay Skyhawks, in a hotly-contested, seven-game series. The Indians are now in the NOJHL finals
against the defending champion Sudbury Jr. Wolves and took a two games to none lead into Tuesday night's game three, following
4-1 and 5-3 wins on the weekend.)
"He's a pretty calm, cool guy," said Viau of Cain. "He's been a steady hand for us, a really
good leader, a really good coach."
Cain, for his part, credits the players, assistant coaches Al DiPasquo and Warren LaVoy and the
rest of the staff for "really pulling together. What we have done, we have done as a team. The only glory I want as a coach
is any glory I share with the team. This isn't about one person or one ego. It can't be."
Cain acknowledged that taking over from Capy, a fellow Canada Post worker, "wasn't easy,
given the situation. It's not like I took over a team with a losing record. The team had been winning and the firing was pretty
much a shock."
But trusted trooper that he is, Cain took control of a testy situation and has helped bring tranquility
to the Indians.
"He's done a great job over there," praised Al Jones, general manager of the Soo Thunderbirds.
"He's very well respected around the league," noted Sault Ste. Marie native Charly Murray, who
is the director of player development for the Blind River Beavers. "He waited his turn for an opportunity to coach in this
league and I don't know of anyone who doesn't think he's done an excellent job."
